Willes' Musings: Bar is set high for the Lions; new Canucks have disappointed so far

In contrast to a forgettable weekend in Calgary, here are the unforgettable musings and meditations on the world of sports:

— The B.C. Lions aren’t in a mood to appreciate the irony but, for all the advancements they made this year, the only thing they learned in the West Division Final is how far they still have to go.

The beatdown administered by the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday didn’t expose one or two flaws in the Lions’ game. It exposed a team that isn’t ready to compete at the highest level. And, before you ask, Sunday’s 42-15 drubbing wasn’t an isolated case. This year the Lions were 3-6 against Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, the only other three CFL teams to finish above .500 this season.

B.C. Lions’ Mike Benson, centre, holds his head as the team loses to the Calgary Stampeders during the finals minutes of CFL West final.Jeff McIntosh /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

This fix, therefore, isn’t a matter of rebuilding the secondary or adding a pass rusher. It’s improving across the board and that’s a much bigger challenge.

This year the Lions identified their quarterback in Jonathon Jennings, laid the foundation for a solid offensive line and assembled a quality group of receivers. Defensively, they were good enough to beat average teams, but weren’t good enough against quality opponents. That should become the principal target area this off-season.

But here’s the cold, hard reality. Given what transpired Sunday, they’ll still need more. The Stamps have to finish the job in the Grey Cup game but, right now, they look like one of the best handful of teams in CFL history.

That’s where the bar is set for the Lions. And it’s awfully high.

— That said, you can’t completely discount the Leos’ 2016 season. They went 12-6 while playing a wide-open, exciting brand of football. They have Jennings and as long as you have a good QB in the CFL, you’re competitive. Wally Buono also came down from the GM’s office and proved he hasn’t lost his coaching touch.

So why didn’t the Lions register with a larger audience?

I’ve been covering this team since 1998 and, in terms of entertainment value, this season ranked in the top three with 2004 and 2011. Seven of the Lions’ wins came in the fourth quarter. They had the CFL’s leading rushing game, a pivot who threw for over 5,000 yards and, in Manny Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham,the CFL’s third- and fourth-leading receivers in yards.

By any objective standard, the Leos held up their end of the bargain this season. Five years ago they also averaged over 36,000 per game at B.C. Place Stadium. This year they were barely over 21,000. Sorry, don’t get it. I’ve heard all the reasons people have tuned out the Lions in this market, but don’t tell me it’s because the product is inferior.

— Today’s discussion question. Has there ever been a bad CFL game played in the snow?

— Wednesday night in Phoenix will mark the Canucks’ 20th game of the season, which means they’re at the quarter pole. As of this writing, Daniel Sedin is their leading scorer and he’s on pace for a 52-point season. Daniel and Bo Horvat lead the team in goals. They’re on pace for 24-goal seasons.

Thought that would cheer everyone up. And here’s another good one. Philip Larsen is still tied for the scoring lead among defencemen and hasn’t played in two weeks.

OK, enough of that. For this observer, the Canucks’ biggest disappointments have been their two biggest off-season acquisitions: Loui Eriksson and Erik Gudbranson.

In Eriksson, the belief was the Canucks were adding a 25- to 30-goal scorer who’d spark a resurgence in the twins. In Gudbranson, the belief was they were adding a legitimate top-four defenceman who has some snarl in his game and would be the perfect partner for Ben Hutton.

If those two players came as advertised, the Canucks would be fine; not world-beaters, but they’d be competitive. But Eriksson has three goals and, now, barely fits in the top six. As for Gudbranson, he’s taken one minor penalty in 19 games this season and has one fight. No one is saying he has to be Bob Probert, but if you’re involved physically, if you’re playing with an edge, you’re getting more than one minor penalty.

They’re both veterans and what we’ve seen so far isn’t necessarily what they’ll be all season. But the Canucks better hope something changes, because they can’t replace what Eriksson and Gudbranson were meant to be.

— Still with the Canucks. It came as some relief that the Orcans dropped out of the pursuit of Evander Kane. Just going on history, Kane is five years removed from his one 30-goal season, he’s injury prone, he seems to be a magnet for trouble off the ice and he’s one year from unrestricted free agency.

If he’s the answer to your problems, your problems may be bigger than you ever imagined.

— There may have been more unlikely winners on the PGA Tour over the last decade or so, but Mackenzie Hughes is now in the conversation.

The 25-year-old from Dundas, Ont., was playing on the PGA Tour Canada last year, before graduating to the Web.com tour in 2016, then qualified for the PGA Tour by finishing in the top 25 of the Web’s money list.

In the fifth PGA start of his rookie year, he was then the wire-to-wire winner at the RSM Classic, surviving a five-man playoff and opening the doors to a new world.

The money, just over $1 million, is one thing. But Hughes is now exempt on the PGA for two years and has qualified for this year’s PGA, Players Championship and, oh yes, The Masters. In June, he was ranked 1,262nd in the world.

Like a lot of things, that’s going to change.

— And finally, the annual debate over the athlete of the year in Canada has started and, in an Olympic year, it should come down to swimmer Penny Oleksiak and sprinter Andre De Grasse, with Oleksiak getting the nod.

She was the first Canadian to win four medals at the Summer Games and her gold came in the marquee 100-metre freestyle. De Grasse was the first Canadian sprinter to win three medals at an Olympics and any other year he’d be a worthy recipient. But the competition this year was tough, which is a good thing for Canadian sport.

In years past this award has gone to harness racing’s Hervé Filion, shooting’s Susan Nattrass, kayaker Caroline Brunet and a couple of others who weren’t exactly headliners. Oleksiak’s and De Grasse’s achievements were unprecedented on the biggest stage in sports. That’s good for them and good for Canada as a sporting country.

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